The Biblical Basis of Missions

God’s heart for the nations shines through in every book of the Bible, and it is His passion that drives our own. None of us would be mobilizers if we had not first been mobilized ourselves through the study of Scripture. Together, let’s catch a glimpse of God’s passion for all peoples to worship Him.

From the beginning, God blesses His people to be a blessing to all nations.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1– 3

God makes a promise to Abraham that He will make him into a great nation as innumerable as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. God’s purpose was that through this family, He would bless all the families of the earth. Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, is the fulfillment of this great promise! Jesus is the greatest blessing to all nations.

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Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 28:14

Exodus 9:15-16

David’s triumph over Goliath spread God’s fame across the globe.

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel …”

1 Samuel 17:45 – 46

David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, and other famous biblical stories show the primary purpose behind these miracles was for God’s name and fame to spread to all nations.

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I Chronicles 16:24

I Kings 8:41-43

I Samuel 17:46

God’s desire to be exalted by all peoples will be fulfilled.

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

David encourages us to quiet ourselves and meditate on the awesomeness of God. As we contemplate the attributes of His character and the power of His actions, we begin to see that His glory is such that the only appropriate response is worship from all nations.

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Psalm 18:49

Psalm 22:27-28

Psalm 47:1-9

Psalm 67:1-7

Psalm 96:1-13

Ezekiel 37:27

Daniel 6:25-27

Isaiah 49:6

Christ commissions us to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

After Christ gave us His Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 – 20, He gave us His strategy. It isn’t a linear progression where we evangelize the world only after we witness locally. Neither is it an “or” statement where believers can focus on one area and neglect the others. He has called all of us to affect all three areas at once — locally, regionally, and globally. Only then will there be witness of Christ to all nations.

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Matthew 24:14

Matthew 28:18-20

Mark 16:15

Luke 24:46-47

John 20:21

Acts 1:8

Acts 15:15-21

Paul’s holy ambition for God’s world testifies to our role on this planet.

I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s greatest desire was to bring the good news to people who had never heard of Jesus before. Today, with the large amount of people who still have never heard of Jesus, we would do well to follow in Paul’s footsteps and play our role joining God in redeeming to Himself people from all nations.

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Romans 15:15-21

Ephesians 3:6-8

I John 2:2

The revelation to John and to us confirms we do not labor in vain.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Revelation 5:9

Jesus paid for a people with His own blood and will one day receive His people, His bride. God’s purpose is that all people groups will be represented in His Kingdom. This is where all of history is headed; where God our Creator, our Father, and our Savior will be worshiped by all nations.

Center for Mission Mobilization

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